Pathway to Heaven
by Amazon Bunny
Summary: ch3 Heaven...A place of happiness for the dearly departed. Nothing can go wrong...right? But Heaven just isn't the place you thought it would be, Raine. KratosRaine KratosAnna
1. Think of Me

**PATHWAY

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_**Amazon Bunny: **This was intended to be my Christmas ficcie, but I decided to write "Snow Wars" (see profile for details) instead for my Christmas fic. Pairings of the story is KratosRaine, and pre-TOS KratosAnna. Possible Post-TOS KratosAnna.  
Let's just get this out right now; I do not own Tales of Symphonia,nor Phantom of the Opera. Or else I wouldn't be writing this. Got that?  
Also, as a forewarning; for those purists out there...You decided to read the story. I have warned you in my summary, I have warned you above, and I warn you now. If you decide to give Pairing critism, be certain that I will critisize you back on my "To my Reviewers" section. It will not be pretty; I've just about had it with Kranna fans reading Kraine stories, and then saying stuff like "I hate Kraine, what the hell is wrong with you" and stuff like that. If you hate the pairing, I've warned you three times, you have NO excuses.  
Thirdly, the bug on my computer has been cramping words, phrases, and even entire paragraphs together. Don't tell me that it's been really hard to read the story; I know, I'm sorry, but I'm trying my best to make it work out.  
Thanks._

Story Summary: (Follows off "Broken Valentine") The dead can not come back. Kratos has had two women when he was alive. Anna. And Raine. In death, he is reunited with Raine. However, he is also reunited with Anna... Sparks fly, hearts are broken, and tears are shed...In the end, who reigns supreme?

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**_The light at the end of the tunnel has faded...A new era has just begun... -Ancient Prophecy_**

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"Do you suppose they'll see each other again?" Colette lifted her eyes to the sky, a cool breeze ruffled her hair.  
She and Lloyd stood in front of the Tree of Yggdrassill, where Raine and Kratos had been buried.  
"I hope so," Lloyd said softly. "I really hope so."

Clear blue eyes flickered open.  
"Wh...Where...?" The feminine voice said groggily. Her pale face turned to see a taller, auburn haired man leaning above her, brown eyes staring, concerned.  
"You're awake...," he said in his low voice. "...Raine."  
"Kratos...Where are we?" The elvish woman sat up, surprised that the material she sat on sunk with her weight. With her fingertips, she gingerly pressed down on the fluffy white material. "A...a cloud?" Clear, translucent wings appeared on her back. Angels...  
"Yeah...Remember?" Kratos said quietly. "We died."  
Raine was quiet. "So...the things you said were true. In the church? I..."  
"Thought you were just hearing things?" whispered Kratos. The half-elf nodded. "Your spirit may not have departed the Earth just then. Perhaps...since I was dying, you might have heard me?" His wings flapped lightly.  
"I don't know..." She turned her head to face the large, golden gates. "I guess this is it, then."  
Just as she said those words, the gates swung open. In a stunned silence, Kratos helped Raine to her feet, and together, entered the Gateway to Heaven...

As the pair walked through the town, an angel smiled at them.  
"You're new here," she said, still smiling. "Welcome to the first stop from the Gateway of Heaven. We call this place 'Accustom', since new folks like you-" she gestured, smiling all the while, at the two, "-need to get accustomed to walking on clouds. It's rather hard at first, huh?"  
"Yeah," Raine said breathelessly. "I feel like I'm sinking."  
"Well, you won't," the angel said. "If you do, your husband can help you, I'm sure."  
Both Kratos and Raine felt the color rise in their faces.  
"Oh, he's..he's not-"  
The angel laughed. "Oh, don't worry, I was just teasing. But, really, you do make such a cute couple."  
That left the two leaving with rather red faces, and standing considerably farther apart.  
"Anyway, we have Transport Diases here, if you want to go somewhere," the lady explained."We have some for Welgaia, Mausonte, Thugaia, and Carpentaria." Seeing the stunned silence on their faces, the angel quickly explained. "Transport Diases," she said. "You stand on them, and they teleport you somewhere. Welgaia's deserted, you don't want to go there. Mausonte is the village of the merchants. Thugaia is the big city, filled with people and all sorts of lively activity. Carpentaria is just a little town where you can settle down and live quietly. If you're new here, I suggest Thugaia."  
"Thugaia it is, then," said Kratos.  
The angel looked straight at the Seraph. "Say, you're that Cruxis Angel, aren't you?" She said mischiviously. "Shouldn't you know your way around here?"  
Kratos blushed slightly. "I don't spend a lot of time here."  
"Come right along," the angel winked. "You'll love Thugaia."  
As they stepped on the Dias, the angel punched in some buttons on the little automated machine, a light flashed, and they disappeared in a whirlwind of color.

THUMP.  
They landed, rather heavily, on the Thugaian Transport Dias.  
Thugaia was a large, bustling city. Angels chattered, bartered, and laughed. Not a second glance was spared at the odd looking couple. Every angel seemed lavishly clad, the wealthy.  
"Welcome to Thugaia," the angel at the machinery said, almost mechanically. He looked bored. "Would you like a visitor's map?"  
"Yes, thank you," Raine smiled, and accepted the parchment.  
"Where to?" Kratos asked Raine, once they stepped outside the building.  
"How about that little theater?" Raine suggested, pointing across the street.  
Kratos frowned. "I never really liked those. Gave me headaches." Raine looked confused. "It's too loud." Kratos explained.  
"Oh," she said simply.  
"How about the Pasta restaurant?" Kratos suggested.  
Raine shook her head. "Genis always liked those..." Her eyes were misty.  
"The concert?" Kratos pointed to the map. A small green dot signified the place.  
She nodded. "That sounds good."

Being a Cruxis Angel, Kratos was rather...recognized...around town.  
Some little girls came up to him and shyly asked for his autograph. Others whispered, pointed, and stared.  
"God dammit, do my wings give it away or what?"  
"I think so," Raine nodded. "Everyone elses are like mine. Clear wings."  
Kratos sighed. "Well, anyway, let's go find a bank first. We have to withdraw some money."  
"But we don't have any," Raine pointed out.  
"Oh?" Kratos said slyly. He pointed at his wings. "Being a Cruxis Angel, I already have some money banked."  
After withdrawing some dough, the two headed off toward the Concert Hall. Large billboards clearly advertised the day's show- "White Ivory". It featured a woman with long chestnut hair, a white pearl mask shading her eyes. A coy smile on her lips, one finger idly twirling a strand of hair. In the background were figures with various instruments in their hands, garbed in white.  
"This looks interesting," Raine commented. "'Preforming the old classic, 'Don't Forget About Us'..."  
They paid for their tickets and went inside.

The buzz of constant chatter filled their ears. Being the filthy rich angel he was, Kratos was able to afford good seats. Smiling, the pair slipped into VIP seats, and Kratos placed a hand on Raine's. It tensed slightly, but relaxed.  
"Did you hear? The performer's going to be-"  
A wave of chatter drowned out the name.  
"No way! Wasn't she a dancer before?" A voice said excitedly. "That's so cool!"  
"Yuh-huh. Some Spiritual Dancer for L-"  
A squeal of laughter. "And she _sings_?"  
The building dimmed, and the noisy crowd instantly hushed. It was as if a great blanket had smothered out the sound.  
The spotlight focused on the stage. A tall, aged angel stood, microphone in hand, and said clearly, smoothly, "Ladies and Gentlemen! It is our greatest pleasure to bring you the Spirit Dancer herself, a Ms.-" He coughed. "You all know her right?" A rather forced laugh. "Now, 'White Ivory' will be preforming the old classic today-'Think of Me'. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen! White Ivory!" He walked offstage to a thundering applause, the curtains parted, and the audience silenced.  
The stage was dim, a shadow of a singer stood, the musicians illuminated. The violinist played several strands of music, accompanied by the piano. More musicians joined in, harmonized. The spotlight shone brightly on the singer.  
Kratos let out an audible gasp. His hand fell limply from Raine's to his side.  
_"Think of me,  
think of me fondly,  
when we've said goodbye.  
Remember me  
once in a while -  
please promise me  
you'll try."  
_Raine turned her head to look curiously at the auburn-haired man. "Is anything the matter?" she whispered. The music blurred in her ears, thestunned face of Kratos filling her eyes.Eyesintensely focused, pale, and slackened lips. "Anna", he mouthed.  
"_When you find  
that, once  
again, you long  
to take your heart back  
and be free -  
if you  
ever find  
a moment,  
spare a thought  
for me."  
_This Anna singer sang sweetly, her gray eyes meeting Kratos'. Looking straight at him, she bore a questioning look at Raine, wondering who this girl could be. The audience was rapt, soaking in every note of the song. She stared, singing softly,  
_"We never said  
our love  
was evergreen,  
or as unchanging  
as the sea -  
but if  
you can still  
remember  
stop and think  
of me . . ."_  
Raine stared at her. Anna stared back, her voice never wavering, the perfect singer as she was the perfect wife. Kratos, meanwhile, was in a cold sweat. His hands were clammy, his face drawn and pallid.  
_"Think of all the things  
we've shared and seen -  
don't think about the things  
which might have been . . .  
__Think of me,  
think of me waking,  
silent and  
resigned."  
_In a sense, this was a perfect song for the occasion. Raine felt inferior compared to this woman. She was an unrefined country girl, dirty blooded, low class. She had nothing compared to this woman. She was the best, she was the big city girl, of pure blood, high class. Kratos' woman. She would never be his...  
_"Imagine me,  
trying too hard  
to put you  
from my mind...  
Recall those days  
look back  
on all those times,  
think of the things  
we'll never do -  
there will  
never be  
a day, when  
I won't think  
of you . ."  
_This woman obviously felt the fright and shock from Raine. She absorbed it, soaked it in, and a coy smile crossed her lips. She felt the insecurity. Her gaze wandered back to Kratos, the smile still upon her mouth. The audience went wild as she paused.  
The musicians continued playing, more vigourously, hearing the wild applause.  
The spotlight focused on another figure, one who seemed to come straight out from the west corridor. He had deep amber eyes, brown hair and a narrow face.  
_"What a change!  
You're really  
not a bit  
the gawkish girl  
that once you were..."  
_He lowered his prop opera glasses. They stood on opposite sides of the stage, feigning shyness, throwing each other a shy look, then looking away. Anna did so with a toss of her head, a shake of her hip. The amber eyes angel continued to sing-  
_"She may  
not remember  
me, but  
I remember  
her..."  
_They walked gracefully to center stage. Anna had her hands clasped at her heart, batting eyelashes. It was obvious that she was putting on such a show for Kratos. Of course, the audience knew nothing- to them, she was simply a great actress and singer. The other angel, hands outstretched, took hers in his. Anna sang;  
_"We never said  
our love  
was evergreen,  
or as unchanging  
as the sea -  
but please  
promise me,  
that sometimes  
you will think of me!"  
_The lights dimmed, and for an instant, the entire room was pitch black. The audience gave a thundering applause, screaming and clapping. A standing ovation. The lights were flipped back on, and 'White Ivory' gave a final bow.Anna's eyes met Kratos', a smirk upon her lips. She blew a kiss, and jauntily stepped into the shadows of the curtain.

**_End_**

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_**Amazon Bunny:** So ends the first chapter of "Pathway". What will happen next...? Comment, and maybe then I'll update soon!I'm rather busy now, with so much school. Updating this was the most I could do- when I'm on the net, I'm supposed to be doing homework. But that's a secret between us, right? Hush hush. I apologize to the people at the **Kraine Forums.**I'm very very very sorry I can't get on very much; I have not quit, no worries.  
Also, there will be lots of songs in here, possible dance routines, so on. Keep in mind, I do not own any unless stated so.  
Leave reviews, if you will. Of course, it's only common courtesy... -laughs-  
I'll try to update before Christmas, or possibly Thanksgiving, alright? Just hang tight for a while. _


	2. Salvation Damnation

**PATHWAY**

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_**Amazon Bunny: **Hello there! Welcome to the 2nd chapter of "PATHWAY". Unfortunately, I don't believe the bug on my computer can be fixed, might have to call GeekSquad or something. So, words will be jumbled, yes. I apologize, but there is nothing I can do. To answer the commonly asked questions: Yes, this is KRAINE. Therefore, this will turn out to be Kraine, not Kranna. Though Kranna is highly HIGHLY hinted. Raine jealousy, but I can't tell any more than that.  
So both Kranna and Kraine fans are welcome. Just don't tell me which pairing to do, I've already figured it out.  
Also, no flames about pointless pairing issues, I honestly don't care, it will save you the trouble if you just don't review if you have something to say like "Gee, I hate Kraine. Why are you even writing this pairing?" Because I will flame you back. And I'm not joking.  
Also, there will be no muses in this story. Most likely, anyway...I'm just out of cheesy lines and since this is a serious story, I feel like I have to be more serious in my Author's Notes. Just a thought.  
With that out of the way, enjoy the second chapter!_

Story Summary: (Follows off "Broken Valentine") The dead can not come back. Kratos has had two women when he was alive. Anna. And Raine. In death, he is reunited with Raine. However, he is also reunited with Anna... Sparks fly, hearts are broken, and tears are shed...In the end, who reigns supreme?

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**_Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned. _****_William Congreve

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With that devilish smile and the blow of a kiss, Anna disappeared into the curtains.Raine sat, glued to her seat, thoughts racing through her head. It just couldn't be...she thought. She shook her head and looked to Kratos. His face was pale, a chalky white. He was trembling, his hands barely grasping the wooden chair. His lips were white, his eyes were strained. Even his nostrils flared at instances. "Come on," Raine said softly, helping Kratos up. She tugged at his arm, and he rose rather shakily, his eyes still staring at where she stood. "Let's go get some air," she tried. "Kratos...Kratos." She gently tugged him outside._**

Anna was backstage, getting hearty congratulations from the crew.  
"Excellent preformance, Ma'am!" the stage manager's boy cried. "I love the song." She beamed at him, smiling.  
"One day, you can be on the stage too," she told him kindly. "You'll be a star!"  
"Now now, don't encourage him too much!" the lighting crewman boomed, his headphones around his neck. He too, was laughing.  
"How about a drink, to celebrate the success?" the Director said. "This is your first performance, after all."  
"Ah...That sounds wonderful, but I must decline. There is other matters I must attend to," Anna said, still smiling.  
The cheerful faces dimmed slightly, but they all understood. "If that's the case," her co-singer shrugged.

"Kratos...," Raine pleaded, large blue eyes staring into his brown ones. "It's...it's..."  
His eyes were so scared, so lost. His face was empty, cold. She tore her eyes away and scanned the crowd...  
Anna hurried through the bustling crowd. Her white fur coat came to her knees, and looked as if she wore a coat of soft snow. She turned her head slowly, brown hair swishing behind her, and their eyes met. Anna looked away defiantly, and disappeared as quickly as she had come. Raine's grip on Kratos' arm must have stiffened, because the Seraph looked up, saw his deceased wife, tore his arm out from the half-elf's grasp, and hurried after her.

Birds chirped loudly in their nests overhead. Kratos' eyes wandered, his thoughts scattered.There was a light tap on his shoulder.  
"You dropped this," someone said kindly.  
The Cruxis Angel whirled around and came face to face with---  
"It's been quite a while, Kratos," she said imploringly, handing the trinket over.  
"Anna..."  
"What's that? You sound disappointed, honey," she said, her voice smooth and rich as syrup. "You don't look so well, either...Haven't you been taking care of yourself on Symphonia? Just look- you're white as chalk! Here, let's sit...No, I think a proper meal would bring some color back into your face. Let's go get something to eat, shall we?" She was exactly as he remembered- cheerful, kind, thoughtful, caring Anna. Nothing had changed. Anna was still...Anna.  
She laughed, tugging on his hand as she turned to lead him away. She did not get too far, though, before his arms circled around her slender waist and pulled her into a hug.  
"I've missed you," he said sincerely.  
A sincere smile played upon her lips. "I've missed you too."

"Damned man," Raine hissed. "Running off without telling me where he was going." Of course, Raine had no idea who that woman was; all she knew was that the girl was the opera singer. But she waited, sitting cross-legged on the bench by the Transport Dais. Somehow, she felt he wouldn't be back anytime soon. She continued to wait, just in case, scanning the crowd. Twenty minutes turned into an hour, an hour melted into two.  
"Where the hell is he!" she growled, glaring at the clock.  
She regretted not running off after him. Of course, she would have gone looking for him, but she was totally new to this place, and this whole 'Heaven' place was just a jumbled mess of clouds and buildings and alleys. The most detailed map could only help so much. Besides, she had no idea where he was in the first place.  
"I knew we should have gone somewhere else..."  
The angel at the Dais was replaced by another. "Your shift's up, man."  
"Um, excuse me," asked Raine to the angels. "Do you know when White Ivory performs again?"  
The two angels lookedat each other and shrugged. "Sorry, ma'am," they said in unison.  
"Oh. Oh, that's quite alright. I just love their music," she lied. "I'll just wait until tomorrow and see."

Silverware clinked, soft music perfectly orchestrated in the background. Dim candles, laughing patrons dressed in silks and suits.  
"Doesn't this remind you of the old days?" Anna laughed. "Even the atmosphere resembles our first date back in Luin." With a thin, graceful hand, she cut into her fish.  
"Yeah...remember the picnic at Lake Umacy?"  
"Oh, yeah! Yeah!" She was just a bubble of energy. "Remember how you pushed me in the lake, and I dragged you with me?" Her eyes glittered happily in the candlelight. "The water was positively _freezing_! And then you saw a unicorn- oh, it was gorgeous!- at the bottom of the lake. You swam over and rescued it. It was the most amazing thing."  
Kratos reached out and took her hand in his.  
"Anna," he breathed softly. "I...I love you."

Fuming, angry, confused, impatient, absoulutely _furious_! She could strangle that man! Running off with that damn whore!  
Bells chimed in the distance; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight times.Eight o' clock at night. Great. Just great. He'd been gone for four hours.  
Raine fidgeted on the cold wooden bench. How much longer could it possibly be? She glanced over at the Dais. The angel operating it threw her an odd glance. After all, she'd been there for four hours.  
"Do you need anything, ma'am?" he asked as she fidgeted once again.  
"No, thanks," she replied stiffly. Damn it!  
Thoughts began racing in her head. Who in the world could have made Kratos so damned...captured? An old friend, perhaps? She racked her brain for names. Who...who...who? Who could that girl possibly be? Then it clicked.  
Oh, damn.

"You left such a generous tip," Anna commented, smiling up at the star-lit sky. They had finished their meal and had headed on a romantic stroll into the forest they had met earlier in.  
"I'm in a good mood," said Kratos, pulling Anna in closer to him. "We're finally together." Strolling down a narrow stone path, the forest seemed even more enchanting and romantic in the moonlight. An owl hooted in the distance, and fireflies danced around the happy couple, swirling madly, trailing behind the two in a whirlwind of light. They enjoyed each other's presence in a comfortable silence.  
"This seems so surreal," whispered Anna, wrapping her arms around the tall Seraph and pressing her face into his chest. She inhaled deeply, taking in his scent. And before she knew it, she felt soft lips against her own.

Unshed tears glittered inhalf-elf's eyes.  
He saw _her_. That explained everything! His attitude at the concert, his running off. She wondered what they were doing now. She shot a glance at the clock. Ten-fifteen.  
Probably had dinner, she fumed. And now...  
She wanted to rip her own hair out at the thought. No. No, she wanted to rip out that Anna-girl's hair out. All this time, she'd never been 'the one'. All their time together had meant nothing. Meant absolutely nothing to him! How could he be so cruel? Their happiness on Symphonia had been her reason for living. Without him, she was lost. Hell, she'd been lost ever since she'd been dumped at the Otherworldly Gate with Genis.  
Tears came dangerously close to streaming down her cheeks.  
And of course, _they_, she thought disgustedly as the clock chimed softly eleven, weren't even married in the first place! No, he had taken her from a Human Ranch and escaped, darting from city to city, village to village. They hadn't time to be married, and yet they had...!  
She couldn't stop the tears.

"Ah, so this is where you live?"  
Kratos peered up into a massive red brick building. It was extravagant. Arched windows shone brightly, their clean panes glistening in the soft, radiant light. A white, ornate grand piano could be seen in the second floor, a crystal chandelier overhead.  
"Yeah, it's actually sort of like an apartment. I own the top floor of that." She nodded at the house. "I think you'll find it to be quite charming! Just like you!"  
"Oh, really?" Kratos grinned. He seized her in his arms, and carried a laughing Anna into the house."I'll show you who's more charming."  
"Is that a challenge?Our home versus you," laughed Anna as they entered the building. "Oh, go up these stairs." She pointed to the left. Expensive paintings smothered the walls, and pricely carpets covered equally pricey wood flooring. At long last, the couple reached the top of the stairs.  
"This is it," Anna said, as Kratos carried her up the last flight of stairs.  
"It's certainly a very charming place," he commented, looking around. Lavish, dark-wood furniture expertly arranged; a smart kitchen arrangement in one room, clean porcelian bathroom in another, a comforting living room in another. "But I'm guessing this is-"  
He carried a madly giggling Anna into the bedroom and placed her on the satin sheets.

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**To my reviewers:**

**Healing Wind: Hahaha, that's right. Down with school! Eh...sorry..you won't like this chapter much lol but thanks for waiting for this chapter to come out and thanks for the review!**

**Always Watching: Man that's a really long review! I appreciate that, and I do agree that pointless angst and fluff do get annoying. I try not to write that way...but...heh... it usually turns out that way anyway. I loved your review, it was very helpful! Thanks!**

**Lilkoifish: Sorry to disappoint, but this is going to be a Kraine fic. Enjoy the Kranna while it lasts lol thanks for the review!**

**Invisible Chicken: Hey thanks for the review! But no, I'm not going to use muses in this story. I do use in What is This Thing Called Love, and some of my older stories, though. **

**ShimaGenki: Yeah, I love a little conflict, heheheh! Thanks for the review!**

**Scarlet Kratos: heheheh Thanks for the review!**

**Great Beaver: Yup, she sings. I had to give her some talent lol can't make her totally stupid...or could I? lol Thanks for the review!**

**Miss Raine Sage: heheh I like Broken Valentine too. I think it's my best work so far. Thanks for the review!**

**Queen Ismaire: Yeah...I don't think heaven really looks like I written it like (if you can understand that...heck I don't get what I just wrote but haha thats just me), but I have to make it a little more...convenient, lol and original, I guess. Thanks for the review!**

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_Amazon Bunny:_ Sorry to keep you all waiting for so long! Since November lol! And it's April! haha im such a procrastinator. Oops! Ha...Sorry I didn't write the "Snow Wars" i was talking about either...I never got around to doing that...but I do have the outline written out lol!  
Okay, so I was doing some thinking and the reason I have the fact that Kratos and Anna never married was because I don't think he mentioned her as his wife...but if anyone is willing to point out that yes they did marry, I'll edit this chapterASAP!  
Okay, so yeah, I'll try to update by..ah say, June. I promise I'll try lol because I've been into Tales of Symphonia again. Seriously I'll try. Just give me until 20 reviews total for chappies uno and dos and then I'll update faster! Remember the more reviews the quicker I update lol

Sorry to keep you all waiting for so long! Since November lol! And it's April! haha im such a procrastinator. Oops! Ha...Sorry I didn't write the "Snow Wars" i was talking about either...I never got around to doing that...but I do have the outline written out lol!Okay, so I was doing some thinking and the reason I have the fact that Kratos and Anna never married was because I don't think he mentioned her as his wife...but if anyone is willing to point out that yes they did marry, I'll edit this chapterASAP!Okay, so yeah, I'll try to update by..ah say, June. I promise I'll try lol because I've been into Tales of Symphonia again. Seriously I'll try. Just give me until 20 reviews total for chappies uno and dos and then I'll update faster! Remember the more reviews the quicker I update lol 


	3. Coffee Disaster

**Pathway To Heaven**

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**Author's Note: **Wow, it has been a really really long time since I've updated. April 2006 haha...I must be the greatest procrastinator alive. ha. ha. sucks for me. anyway...I have to, once again, state that this story is very much Kraine, but has little bits and pieces of Kranna. Kraine fans, it'll be a bit before the goodness comes along. Kranna fans, enjoy it while it lasts, I guess lol? By the way, this chapter relies quite heavily on my previous story "Broken Valentine". Just saying...if you haven't read that, then you might be a little lost reading this. 

For the meantime, I aim for at least 5 chapters total in this story. May be a little more than 5, but definitely not less.

A little thing to point out: as you know, I am an extreme procrastinator with an attention span of a rock, so it might be a long, long, LONG time before I update this. Or ever update it. Ahh... :-(

Need I say the disclaimer?..

Anyway. Sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy a nice platter of cookies and milk (soymilk, if you're lactose intolerant) while you read this.

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**"Well I wonder**

**could it be**

**when I was dreaming 'bout you ****baby, you were dreaming of me?**

**Call me crazy**

**call me blind**

**to still be suffering is stupid ****after all of this time.**

**Did I lose my love to someone better**

**and does she love you like I do?**

**I do, you know I really, really do...**

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Raine hated her luck. 

Sitting in the middle of a freezing bench, hands stuffed in her coat pockets, watching little puffs of vaporized breath float away. She wasn't going to lie-- it got _cold_ high up in the clouds. Especially at two-thirty in the morning. Glancing over her shoulder, the angel at the Dias had fallen asleep, his palm against his cheek, slightly drooling. She looked away, shuffling her numb feet. The streets were deserted, with the exception of a hobo hobbling from trashcan to trashcan, searching for a tidbit. It was then that she realized how famished she was. She hadn't eaten anything for hours. If only she had a little Gald, then she would at least be warm somewhere in a hotel, had a little something to eat, maybe...

But, no. Empty-pocketed, deprived of warmth, food, Gald, love, and running low on hope. She knew what Kratos and Anna had been doing, and it sickened her. Screwing like a pair of bunnies, probably, and curling up together in a warm bed. She wanted to run after Kratos, and hit him and hug him and love him and hate him, and was suddenly struck by a belly-laugh so hard that tears came to her eyes. Laughing, sobbing, she laid back against the cold bench fell asleep.

---

There seemed to be a point where the human spirit simply rejected an overabundance of misfortune, much like how a frozen pond rejects a downpour of rain. Raine woke up knowing that her relationship with Kratos was destroyed, but her heart simply refused to accept the knowledge, like it was encased in a protective shell of ice.

The stiffness in her limbs from the cold and sleeping in one position hardly bothered her at all, and she shook off the frost that had accumulated on her for the last few hours. Raine watched as a couple was reunited at the Dias, an old man waiting for his wife to join him in the afterworld, sharing their affection unabashedly in public, and as they walked away, hand in hand, to their future, whatever it would be. As they passed her, they smiled, thinking that she was waiting for her love to join her. As she smiled back at them, she realized how embarrasing and painful it was to sit on a bench and pretend that she was going to be met. Sneaking a look over her shoulder, the Dias-Guard wore an expression of pity and understanding on his old face, like he had seen countless girls before her waste away warming a bench for nothing, waiting for her invisible date to show up. Suddenly, waiting on the bench didn't sound quite as stupid and shameful, but stupid and shameful enough that she hurried away from the Transport Dias to her unknown destination without looking back.

oOo

Kratos, walking alongside Anna on the sidewalk, hands laden of shopping bags, was starting to feel a little guilty. He was sure that he had passed the Dias he had left Raine at a couple times already, but there was no sign of the silver-haired half-elf. The temperature had dropped severely from the day before, and the windowpanes of the stores were frosted over with a thin sheet of ice. It dawned on him that while he had been busy enjoying the company of his wife in bed, Raine had been outside in the cold.

"Sweetie, look at this!" Anna called to him, pointing at a mannakin in a window display. "I have to go look inside. Such cute clothes! You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all, sweetheart," replied Kratos, balancing a teetering box of shoes from toppling over by tucking it underneath his chin. "Take your time."

Anna beamed at him. "You're such a dear!"

"I know."

The bell tinkled merrily as they entered, and over the tower of boxes, Kratos saw bright yellow walls decorated with frilly pink ribbons and baby blue window treatments. It was like the Easter Bunny had come and decorated the room when he was on crack. He sighed and sat down, while Anna rifled through the racks.

oOo

Having walked a decent distance away from the Dias, Raine slumped down on a bench, utterly exhausted, hungry, and cold. It was fairly deserted all around the street, with a few shoppers and pedestrians strolling by every few minutes. She leaned back, staring at the sky, barely able to keep her eyes open. As she drifted in and out of consciousness, something rustled near her. Squinting, she could make out the outline of a person, leaning against the lamp-post.

"Tired?" the person asked. The voice was masculine, not too deep and not too girly. Raine opened her eyes and looked at him, and liked what she saw. The speaker was good-looking, and had somewhat shaggy, black hair and spicy-green eyes. His teeth were straight and clean, and he wore a dark-green camo jacket over dark pants.

"More or less," Raine shrugged. "I could do with a cup of coffee."

"Well, why don't you come along and have a cup with me?" the man offered. "My treat."

"Wouldn't it be a bit awkward?" asked Raine, squinting at him through the bright sunlight behind him. "We're complete strangers."

"Why don't we get to know each other better, then?" he persisted, extending his hand out to her. "I'm Jack Leon, by the way. Most people call me Leon."

"You're not, by any chance, going to hit on me, are you?" she joked, shaking his hand.

"Maybe. You never know," he joked back, plopping down beside her on the bench.

"You know, I never really liked pick-up artists."

"We're in the same boat, then," he responded casually, playing with a loose string on his jacket. "How's that coffee offer sounding?"

"Pretty good, actually. And by the by, I'm Raine."

A half hour later, the half-elf was sitting contentedly in a small coffee-shop in the center of town, watching the steam rise from her mug. Leon sipped at his pumpkin-spice latte, quietly observing the silver-haired woman before him.

"So, Miss Raine," said Leon, draping an arm casually on the back of his chair. "Tell me a little about yourself. How's a pretty lady like you end up here so early?"

Raine smiled crookedly. "If I were to mention all the details, it would be a _very_ long story."

"Ah," said Leon, spreading his hands. "You forget. We have all the time in the world."

She sipped thoughtfully at her cappacuino. "Well," she began slowly. "I have this affinity for books, see? I can't pass them up. I see one, and it just grabs me and pulls me in and I have to get my hands on it--"

"That's what she said," he joked, setting his latte down and propping his elbows on the table.

Raine chuckled. "Anyway, I picked up this book, 'Broken Valentine', and it was cursed. I didn't know that, and I read it. I was cursed, and I eventually died. So, here I am. Nerdy, I know."

"Hey, I like nerds!" said Leon, grinning. "And not too shabby of a way to go. At least your story sounds cool."

"If 'Death by Books' is a cool way to die, I'm interested to hear your story."

"It's incredibly lame," he chuckled. "Still want to hear it?"

"Shoot," she said.

"Alright, you asked for it. I'm sure," he began, "You've heard of those Human Ranches, run by Desians, yeah? I was initially a captive at the Asgard Ranch. Kvar-- nasty man, rotten through and through-- was there. One day, we all planned this massive breakout," he stretched his arms out to emphasize his point, "and me and my buddies killed a bunch of those damned Desians and switched our clothes. Buried those fools way out back in the trenches with all the dead inmates.

"But someone ratted us out. Turns out, it was my neighbor's daughter. The bloody bitch--" he stopped short, aware of what he was saying. "Pardon the language. The little fool ratted us all out. Imagine! The girl I grew up with, turning in all of her friends to save her own rotten skin. Kvar and his cronies were waiting for us outside the gates. We never made it past.

"He killed all of us, save myself and one other. He said we were too weak to kill...yet. We were taken to Iselia Ranch. I overhead a conversation between Forcystus and another Desian that the little traitor had escaped, herself. Apparently, she was carrying some high-ranking Desian's baby and he had helped her escape. Not long after, they were all caught. I heard that she was killed, and that her baby died, too. Serves her right, I say." He let out a low breath. "Me? I died from exhaustion a few months later. Lame story, I know."

"It's not lame," said Raine quietly. "Not at all."

"Sure it is. I died a slave," he shrugged. "But not that it matters anymore. Nope. I'm dead and I can't do a thing about it now."

The silver-haired half-elf took a swig of her luke-warm cappacuino. "What was her name? The woman that sold you all out, I mean."

The corner of Leon's lips turned down sourly. "Anna. She was the innkeeper's daughter back in Luin. I used to go over to her father's shop every weekend to buy books."

"Well," she said. "If it makes you feel any better, all the Human Ranches have been destroyed."

Leon lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? That's good news! And what of Kvar?"

"Blown to bits. But not before sustaining a few fatal wounds," she said thoughtfully. "Two swords, I believe, through the stomach."

"That's good. And he's not here, thank Martel," he laughed, putting down his mug. "Otherwise, I might have to hunt him down and push him off a cloud, myself."

"Push him off a cloud?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Thugaia's a real dangerous place because of it, didn't you know? Edges galore, here. Anyway, you get pushed off, or fall off, one of these clouds, you get a one-way ticket straight to Hell."

Just as soon as the words had come out of his mouth, the coffee-shop door rattled open, and a woman strolled in, humming a familiar tune. Leon, who had been seated facing the door, froze immediately on the spot, his face wearing an expression of shock and revulsion. Raine reached over to pry the latte from his slack hands before it clattered to the linoleum tabletop. Then, she turned discreetly to see who the newcomer was.

The lady was a brunette, and rather pretty, she supposed, with dark gray eyes. She was dressed to impress, Raine decided, in a navy blue dress cinched at the waist with a large, white belt. She finished the look with patent black-and-white ankle boots and perfectly manicured nails. Raine was rather impressed by the woman's ability to shop. On her arms hung several bags of clothes, and the man behind her held a small mountain of boxes and bags. She turned to the man (was it a man? Raine wondered. It was hard to tell who was behind the massive pile of merchandise) behind her, and asked in a melodious voice, "Kratos, sweetie, what would you like to drink?"

---

Raine wondered how she had managed to escape the coffee shop, as she lay sprawled under the sheets on Leon's bed. She also wondered how she had managed to have sex with a guy she just met at the coffee shop that day.

_Martel, I'm a wreck,_ she thought.

As Anna had ordered drinks ("One decaf soy latte, and one chai green tea, please!"), Leon had, miraculously, pulled himself together enough to stand up and grab her wrist, dragging her toward the exit. Unfortunately, Raine had aquired some Colette-like tendencies, which triggered a series of truly embarrassing events. While being half-dragged out, she accidently stepped on Kratos' foot. He yelped and jerked backwards out of instinct, causing the boxes on top of the pile to teeter precariously before deciding to topple over on Raine.

"I'm sorry!" Anna rushed over to apologize, and quickly gathered the fallen shoes. "I'm really, really sorry--" she continued to babble, before realizing who she was talking to. Raine, staring at Kratos in a mix of disbelief (when had he been so domestic?), who stared back with a look of equal shock and disbelief, and Leon, who was glaring at Anna with a look nothing short of hatred. "Oh, gosh..."

And before anyone could say anything else, Leon had dragged her out the door and down the block. They walked (he dragged, she followed) in silence, endless twists and turns, Raine thought, before they reached his apartment. There, she vaguely remembered that they had spoken about something, about Kratos, she presumed, and she had ended up sobbing, and before she knew it, they were in his bed.

Now, she lay, feeling utterly sick to her stomach, as she listened to him clamor around in the kitchen. _He sure moves around a lot,_ Raine thought dully, as she heard him clang pots and pans together on the stove.

Flipping onto her stomach, she buried her face in a pillow. Raine had had the sneaking suspicion that Kratos was with Anna after he deserted her on the Dais, but the run-in at the coffee shop had confirmed her worst fears. He was with _her_. Damn the fickle man!

She closed her eyes, and waited for the waves of rage and sorrow wash over her. And waited. And waited. Somehow, for some strange reason, she felt nothing but nausea. It was like her heart had closed up like a protective shell, a thick layer of ice protecting it from harm. She knew what she had dreamed of having with Kratos would never be. Not anymore...but somehow, it just didn't register. Nothing did.

A tantalizing aroma of tomato sauce and cooking pasta soon filled the little apartment, and she heard him walking down the hallway.

The doorknob turned, and he peeked his head in the room. Raine pretended she was asleep. He shut the door, and she listened listlessly as his footsteps died away.

* * *

**To my reviewers:**

**_Eden-Raid: _**haha, yeah...but now it's since April 2006! lol Have a great New Year's!

**_Blade of Pureness:_** lol well I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! Hopefully the 4th chapter won't take nearly as long! Have a great New Year's!

**_Shima-Genki: _**hehe, yeah, but it's only for a little while longer!! I know I've had this story for forever, but I'm actually still working on the ending...haha...yeah...Have a happy New Year!

**_Miss Raine Sage:_** lol yeah hopefully!! I'm excited to see how the end result will be. Have a happy 2008!

**_NotHere374:_** ooh RE4...I haven't played that game, but it looks pretty good...and kinda scary, but scary is good, right? lol Have a fantastic 2008!!

**_Raine-Cadet_**: Wow! 2 reviews! hooray!! lol thanks for reviewing! Have a wonderful New Year!

**_YinYangTigress: _**haha, thank you!! I really hope this is going to be good...I've had this idea for forever but I have soo many plot bunnies...lol Have a good New Year!

**_CrystalFlower: _**I know...it was hard deciding what to do! But I have most of it figured out so all I have to do is fine tune it. I think you'll like how it'll end...when I figure that part out lol :-) Have a great New Year!!

**_Slashtail:_** lol thank you for reviewing!! Have a wonderful New Year!

**_Amyxdove:_** lol I updated! Woohoo!! Thank you for reviewing, and have a fantastical New Year!

* * *

**Author's Note:** umm...so don't hate me, guys!! I know, I took FOREVER to update, and plus now I do this to Raine! I promise, it'll all turn out alright. We're only half-way through the story, after all. Damn those plot bunnies, they're part of the hold up. I should make a plot bunny stew for us all to enjoy, eh? Mmmm plot bunny stew.

Hopefully I will have chapter 4 out by May. Don't quote me, but I definitely have it in mind... While you are waiting for Pathway to Heaven chapter 4, satiate your hunger by chowing down on plot bunny stew, and possibly some of my other works on my other username Ridell! It doesn't have a whole lot yet, it's mostly Fire Emblem and Zelda, but there's stuff working on that account, too! So check it, if you want :-)

Meanwhile, have a super awesome NEW YEAR!

Much love!


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